January 20, 2020
Eagle Herald
Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to Dale Anderson’s letter of last week.
Although he believes our environment was not a concern in the past like it is today, let’s look at history: Years ago, the only fertilizer applied to crop fields was cow manure, which was totally biodegradable. Then came commercial fertilizers, intended to increase crop yields. Next were chemical herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, broadleaf sprays — including Round-Up which is now listed as a carcinogen — all formulated toward higher crop yields. When crops are sprayed with chemicals, they are assimilated by the plant and also absorbed into the ground; however, some are washed into creeks, rivers and into our water supplies. The scientific community was not aware of the pollution then, but now we all know.